iMac computer name changed (and not by me)

[djej]

I have an early 2008 iMac running Leopard 10.5.7. Periodically the computer name just changes on me. Originally I named the computer My Name. At one point, it changed to My Name (1)... and now is up to My Name (3).

I don't care so much what the name of it is, it's just that it creates problems for my wife when she tries to print (and the printer is networked through my iMac) and we have to delete/re-add the printer to her Mac.

I don't know if it just renames occasionally during a OSX Software update or what. Any ideas?

Thank you!

 

[BlueRevolution]

You can rename it under  -> System Preferences -> Sharing.

 

[djej]

Right, I know that I can change it. I'm just curious as to why it's happening.

 

[yellow]

Because the DHCP server has another instance of an object named "My Computer" on the network, tied to a DHCP delivered IP address. Therefore, since your computer pops up and says my name is "My Computer" and I need an IP address, the DHCP server gives you an IP address, but has to change the name to "My Computer (2)" to differentiate between the the 2 objects with that name. This is a pretty common problem when you have multiple computers with the same, non-unique name. The best fix? Make sure all computers on your network have unique dhcp client IDs and sharing names.